A Lone Wolf's Companion
by chibifurby
Summary: Eight years ago Zakuro had thought her best friend that had so recently moved away was dead. Eight years later, he reappears in her life. How will this lone wolf world saving pop star be effected by this sudden return?
1. Chapter 1

Since there were quite a number of people who seemed to like the story I discontinued, I decided to redo the story, fixing up some bits of places I didn't like, and other stuff, though not much changed in the beginning. The process is going slowly, as is with all my other stories...so I ask for patience and if I were to give up on a story I would tell you all...I wouldn't just suddenly drop it cause I know how that feels, having a good story just suddenly stop updating and never get updated again...I'll try my best to balance everything out and I hope that this time the story is a little towards my own liking and that you all still like it. Please read and review.

* * *

blah-normal  
"blah"-Japanese  
'blah'-thought  
**"blah"**-English  
_blah_-past

Chapter 1

_Eight years ago:_

_Zakuro was sitting on the couch at home, a blanket on top of her, in front of the on television. She was trying to rid herself of sadness by watching some TV. Her best friend, Tohma, had moved to America with his family a few days ago. They had known each other ever since way back when. Though they weren't related in any way, Tohma had always been like an elder brother to her, if not more. They always did stuff together. One was almost never seen without the other. They were inseparable. Also, when one felt down or bothered, they would confide in one another no matter what the problem was._

_Zakuro got off the couch and, with the blanket still on her and dragging behind her like a cape, went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of. When she returned, the English news was back on. She and Tohma had been learning English together as an elective second language. Ever since, they had adopted the habit of watching the English news every night._

_**"Earlier today, there was a devastating accident in California."**_

_Zakuro choked on her water. 'That's where Tohma lives!' she thought. Zakuro calmed down slightly as she reasoned with herself. California's a big state…the chances of being her friend were very small, she was just simply overreacting._

_**"A speeding car had collided with another at an intersection, causing both to spin out of control. The first car spun into two other cars while the second was knocked though the guard rails and remained there with the end of the vehicle sitting over a cliff. The two adults in the car managed to escape the teetering car, but their eight year old son had remained unconscious in the back seat."**_

_Zakuro had felt her heart beating speed up. The age of the boy was merely a coincidence, that there were a lot of eight year old boys in California._

_**"As the frantic parents tried to get their son out of the car, the car had flipped over the edge and fell 20 feet. By some miracle, the eight year old child had survived the fall, rescued 23 minutes later. The boy is currently under heavy surgery, but doctors still do not know whether young Tohma Nojima will be able to recover.**_

_Zakuro's glass of water fell though her hands and smashed on the floor, as she fainted._

Present day:

Zakuro still had nightmares of that day when she heard about Tohma's accident. She had never found out whether or not Tohma had made any kind of recovery. Although she forced herself to be able to face the facts if worse came to worse, she couldn't help but fear that Tohma didn't make it. It has been eight years since that day, and Zakuro was already in high school, a movie star, and a member of the Tokyo Mew Mews, and she still couldn't help dwelling in the past.

One night, after yet another nightmare, Zakuro got out of bed and went down into the kitchen for a glass of water. As she drank, something caught the corner of her eye. She walked over and picked up a picture. It was a picture her and Tohma, her lengthy purple hair fell over her shoulders as Tohma, who had his black hair reaching the bottom of his neck, stood next to her, arm around her shoulder and Zakuro holding it in her own. The picture was taken not to long before he moved. Subconsciously she started gripping her glass of water tightly as memories started to seem through.

"Ow," she gave a small cry of pain as the glass shattered cutting her hand.

As she bent down and gathered most of the glass pieces in her other hand, the doorbell rang.

'Who could be calling at this hour?' Zakuro wondered to herself.

She dumped the glass shards into the trash can and went to answer the door. When she opened the door, she can face to face with a boy with jet black hair that reached his neck and who was more or less her age. Zakuro couldn't help but think back to the picture she was staring at just moments ago.

**"Excuse me, but to you know where this address is?" **he asked, though in English, while showing her a piece of paper.

**"Yes, I do, do you need directions?" **Zakuro asked, also in English, looking at the address he was showing her.

As soon as Zakuro spoke, the boy realized he was speaking in English.

"Oh I'm sorry, I'm always forgetting I'm not in California anymore," the boy said, this time in Japanese.

"Oh, so you DO know how to speak Japanese," replied Zakuro, though hearing that the boy came from California made something go off in her head.

"Yes I do, but that doesn't help me any of finding my apartment," he said smiling sheepishly.

"Not a problem. Here, you just go down this road and-"

"Maybe…you…could write it down for me?" he said tentatively, scratching his head.

"Sure, no problem," she said with a smile, and feeling the cold night wind said, "Why don't you come in."

"Thanks," he said, rather thankfully, as he walked into the house.

Zakuro went into the living room and got a pen and paper out. The boy followed while taking in her house.

"Wow, you have a really nice house," he commented.

"Thanks," said Zakuro, looking up. She hadn't seem Tohma in eight years, so she had excepted Tohma had died, and no one had told her, and yet a hopeful feeling swelled in Zakuro's chest.

"Zakuro…" came a small whisper.

Zakuro looked up abruptly.

"Wh-what did you say?" she asked.

"Oh sorry, it's just… it's nothing," the boy said hesitantly.

When Zakuro continued to look at him, he gave in.

"To be honest, I don't even know who this person is," said the boy, "to tell the truth, I was in an accident seven or eight years ago. I had lost my memory then, everything before that is a blank to me. I can't remember anything, but my parents had told me if ever I needed help to just look for someone named Fuijwara Zakuro. Apparently she's some big star here in Japan…but I've never seen her…so I don't even know what she looks like…"

There was a ringing silence as Zakuro looked at him, utterly shocked. The boy looked at her.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah…" she said in a daze, "W-what did you say your name again?"

"I'm sorry, I completely forgot to introduce myself," said the boy with a laugh of realization that he had forgotten to introduce himself, "My name is Nojima Tohma. Nice to meet you."

Zakuro had never gotten around to answering his question that night, for she had fainted.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was early morning when Zakuro came to. She woke up to a cool autumn day, and the slight chirping of birds outside her bedroom window.

'Wow, what a dream…never had one like that before.' Zakuro thought, lying on her bed, staring the ceiling.

As she sat up in her bed, she noticed a slip of paper on her desk. She got up, out of her bed and walked over to her desk. She picked up the folded piece of paper, rubbing the tiredness out of her eyes, and examined it.

Curious to who left it there, she opened it and read the inside.

"Thanks for the instructions to my apartment, I can get there from where you left off…I think. I figured that you were tired and that's what caused you to collapse like you did. I carried you to your room so you could sleep and will let myself out. I noticed that the school clothes you laid out for tomorrow is the same as mine, except…feminine... As I am still new here, I was wondering if you could come to my apartment and show me the way to school. If you're going to come, I won't demand you to do so. I pretty sure I could get to the school by myself, after all it's not that hard to miss, is it? Anyways, if you decide not to show up, I'll just see you around school then.

Tohma Nojima"

Zakuro was immediately fully awake.

'So it wasn't a dream,' she thought, 'then that means…Tohma!'

Zakuro hurried to get her things ready for school and left the house. She ran toward the address that Tohma had showed her last night. She prayed and prayed that Tohma was still there waiting, and that he hadn't left for school yet. But, when she got to the address, the place was empty and void of people. She kicked a nearby trash can in frustration, knocking it over. She leaned on the wall, pant and trying to catch her breath.

"You know, I'd think littering was against the law," said a voice next to her.

Zakuro spun around to see Tohma, standing there.

"Tohma!" cried Zakuro, in surprise, "I thought you left."

"Nah, just leaving," Tohma replied, he swung his school bag over his shoulder, "So you here to show me a way to get to school? Or do I have to find a way to get there myself?" he asked, grinning.

Zakuro nodded, and they set off.

"So I never caught your name…" Tohma said with a smile.

Zakuro mumbled her name.

Tohma leaned forward slightly. "What was that?"

"…Fuijwara Zakuro…"

Tohma stopped dead. "You're…"

Zakuro stopped too, slightly ahead of Tohma. She started to shake slightly as tears started to fall down her face. "…I'm sorry..."

Tohma walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok…"

Zakuro shook her head and turned, crying into Tohma's chest. "I'm sorry…I didn't want to believe it…in case…you really were…" Zakuro choked on her words.

Tohma was startled to say the least, but wrapped his arms around Zakuro. Zakuro then explained their relation, that they were best friends before. She looked up at Tohma after she was done. "…Are you mad at me…?"

Tohma smiled and brushed away her tears. "Of course not…" He kissed her forehead, which, to Zakuro's surprise, made her blush. "I'm just glad that I finally get to meet you…again…"

Zakuro nodded and leaned her head on his chest as they walked. It wasn't till they reached the school did they break apart.

When they walked into class, Tohma was introduced by the teacher to the class and told to sit diagonally from Zakuro. All though class, Zakuro's mind kept wondering to Tohma. Why was she so flustered when he had kissed her, it wasn't anything passionate or anything, just a kiss on the forehead. Come to think of it, when they were younger, Tohma would always do something like that. When ever Zakuro was upset, he'd hold her close, brush her tears away, and kiss her forehead, reassuring her that everything was or will be alright.

As they were dismissed for the day, Zakuro got up to go over to Tohma, but he was surrounded by a group of boys. She stood on tip toe to try and catch his attention. He looked up at her. She mouthed that she'd wait for him, he nodded, and she left the classroom. But, as soon as she left the classroom, she was surrounded by a group of girls. They all started to ask about Tohma.

"So, is he your boyfriend or something?" "We thought you being a celebrity you could do better than him."

"Wh-what are you guys talking about?" Zakuro stammered.

"Oh, come now Zakuro, we all saw how you couldn't keep your eyes off him." "Admit it!"

"I'm sorry I don't know what you're talking about," said Zakuro, trying to push her way out of the crowd, though she felt her face reddening.

As she waited for Tohma by the school gate, students walked by her either laughing out loud or talking behind their hands to one another. She was so fed up at how in just one day rumors were already spreading, that she was just about to leave for Café Mew Mew when he came walking up to her.

"Geez, I don't believe them," he muttered to her, "They think I'm going out with you or something. Saying your too good for me. I really don't get people sometimes. I mean…I haven't been here for even a day…"

"In all fairness…we are really close…" Zakuro mumbled, blushing slightly.

"Well…yeah…I mean…it's expected…"

Zakuro shrugged. "They don't know that…And besides…YOU'VE only known me for a day…"

"So…? My heart knows you…and that's all that's needed…" Tohma smiled and wrapped an arm around Zakuro, hugging her as they walked.

Zakuro smiled and leaned into the hug. "Thanks…"

"Always," Tohma said, looking down at her, "So, you going home?"

Zakuro shook her head, "I need to get to work."

"Oh, you want company while you get there?" he asked.

She smiled at him and nodded. As they were walking toward Café Mew Mew, a cold wind blew, Zakuro started to shiver. She had forgotten her jacket at home and all she was wearing was a short sleeved shirt, the school uniform's vest, and a skirt. Tohma, who noticed this, smiled and took off the jacket that he wore over his school uniform.

"Here," he said, placing the jacket over her shoulders.

"Thanks," she murmured to him, holding the jacket close, blushing slightly.

They had walked all the way to the café and the stop in front of the doors.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked.

Zakuro looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah. You think you can get back on your own?" she asked.

Tohma smiled at her again. "I'll find my way."

Zakuro smiled too, as she walked into the café though the double doors. When she closed the door, she noticed four other girls had quickly ran to pretend to do some sort of job around the café. She shook her head, went in back, and changed into her work uniform. When she came back, they all started to ask her about Tohma.

"Who was that you were with, huh Zakuro?" "He looks kinda cute, is he your boyfriend?" "Psh, not a chance. No one's good enough for, Zakuro." "Guys…I think we should really get back to work…"

She sighed.

"He's an old friend and nothing more," Zakuro had said firmly, "Yes, Ichigo that is all," she added as she saw the brown haired girl, Ichigo Momomiya, open her mouth to ask her more. Though inside, she wondered if that was really the truth. There was a feeling in her chest, that was never there when they were yonger…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Zakuro had realized that she had kept Tohma's jacket, and set off to return it right after work. All the while she had wondered about Tohma and her feelings toward him. It confused her at first, she knew that she would be his friend no matter what happened, but… When she got to his apartment, she pushed the thought out her mind, and rang the doorbell to his place and Tohma came to answer it.

"Oh, hey!" said Tohma in surprise, "you just come from work?"

Zakuro nodded. She held out his jacket, "Here, you forgot it with me."

Tohma smiled and pushed the jacket back to her. "It's fine, you can keep it."

"Oh…ok…you sure…?" Zakuro blushed. She liked the jacket, even though it was a little big for her. Whether it was because she liked how it felt or simply because it was Tohma's she didn't know. She concluded that the two were close enough to be considered the same.

Just then, a voice called out behind them. "So what I heard was true."

They both turned to see an alien floating in the air behind them.

"Pai!" Zakuro shouted, "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to find a soul to take for my Chimera Animal," Pai said, in a matter of fact tone.

Tohma, who thought that Pai was there for Zakuro's soul, got in between them. "Just back off freak," he called to Pai.

Pai scoffed as he pulled out his fan. "Fool…"

"Tohma, run, now!" shouted Zakuro.

But before Tohma could react, Pai swung his fan and shouted "Fuu-Rai-Sen!"

Tohma was knocked back with full force of the wind attack, hitting the wall of the apartment. He struggled to his feet.

Pai smirked. "Fuu-Rai-Sen!" he shouted again.

Once again, Tohma was hit back against the wall. Zakuro was unable to do anything, for transforming in front of Tohma would reveal that she was a Tokyo Mew Mew. She watched helplessly as Pai shot attack after attack at Tohma, now shouting "Fuu-Hyou-Sen", which shot an ice attack at Tohma, and "Fuu-Rai-Sen", which would either shot Tohma with a blast of strong air or hit him with lightning. Pai continued to attack till Tohma didn't get up anymore, just lie there, panting.

"Tohma!" Zakuro shouted, running to his side.

"Zakuro…run away…while you still can…" muttered Tohma, who was on the verge of unconsciousness.

But, Zakuro didn't run. She got up and stood in front of Tohma. She took out her transformation pendent.

"Mew Mew Zakuro Metamorphosis," she shouted, as she transformed.

"Tck," Pai scoffed, and disappeared one the spot, not wanting to deal with a fight.

Zakuro, seeing Pai diappear, turned to Tohma and realized that he was unconscious. Her heart skipped a beat.

'Oh no,' she thought, as her mind raced, 'those attacks didn't kill him, did they?'

Without to much thought, she picked him up and raced off to the Café, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. When she got there she burst through the door, causing Lettuce Midorikawa to drop the stack of plates she was carrying in surprise.

"Keiichiro!" Zakuro shouted.

Keiichiro Akasaka, who was in the kitchen, stuck his head out. "Yes?"

"I need the Mew Aqua now!" Zakuro pleaded.

"Why would you need the-" Keiichiro started, but seeing Tohma in his beaten state, went to the basement of the café to retrieve the Mew Aqua immediately.

Mint Aizawa hurried up to Zakuro, who had followed Keiichiro down into the basement. "What happened?" she asked.

"Yeah, Zakuro, tell us what happened," said Pudding Fong, hopping around as Zakuro placed Tohma on a table and Keiichiro brought out the Mew Aqua.

"We were attack by Pai," she murmured, as Keiichiro applied a little of the Mew Aqua on Tohma. Tohma's body glowed for a few seconds do to the Mew Aqua entering his body, then the light faded, as Tohma's shuddering breath calmed down.

"So your boyfriend paid you a visit," joked Ryou Shirogane, as he entered the room, referring to Pai.

Zakuro gave a hard stare at Ryou, who shut up at sight it. The day before, they had teased her about Pai landing on top of her when the Chimera Animal they were fighting exploded.

"How is he?" Ichigo asked.

"His condition is stable now, though he's still unconscious," Keiichiro informed, "but he still isn't well enough to leave to far from here."

Ryou took the hint and went up to make a guest room in the upstairs where he and Keiichiro both had a room.

"Keiichiro," Zakuro spoke up, Keiichiro looked at her, "could I maybe, stay here to, you know, watch after him?"

There was a teaser in there somewhere, but no one took the chance. Keiichiro nodded.

Keiichiro helped Zakuro carry Tohma up to the top floor into a spare bedroom as Ichigo and the others left.

"So, did he see?" Ryou asked, as Keiichiro placed Tohma in the bed.

"Huh?" Zakuro looked up from Tohma at Ryou.

Ryou pointed at her. She looked down and realized that she was still in the Mew outfit.

"I don't think so," Zakuro answered as she realized what he was asking, "He was like that when I saw him right after I transformed."

"But before…?"

Zakuro shrugged, as she went back to staring at Tohma's unconscious form.

Ryou sighed as he clapped a hand to his head.

"I don't think it will cause us too much trouble," Keiichiro ensured Ryou as he headed towards the open door.

"Thanks, Keiichiro," said Zakuro, pulling up a chair to sit next to Tohma's bed, as Keiichiro and Ryou left.

Before long, Zakuro had fallen asleep in her chair and just a little after that, Tohma started to stir. As he got up, he saw Zakuro sitting in the chair next to him, her head resting on his lap and still in the Mew outfit.

"**It's just as I thought," **Tohma said to himself, "**It wasn't just my imagination…**"

Zakuro's wolf ears twitched at Tohma's voice, but she remained asleep. He sat there and watched her sleeping profile.

"**She really is cute with those ears,"** he laughed softly.

Zakuro suddenly shivered in her sleep. Tohma assumed it was from the lack of clothing she was wearing. Tohma took the covers that were placed on him and wrapped them around her, but as he did so, Zakuro's eyes flew open.

"Tohma!" she shouted in surprise, taking the covers on her and trying to hide her appearance.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Tohma said apologetically, and noticing that she was too busy trying to hide herself to reply, "You ok?" he asked, attempting to pull the covers off her to look at her face.

After many attempts, Zakuro knew he wasn't going to give up, so she finally gave up and let the covers slide off her. She stared at the floor. "I didn't what you to see me like this," she muttered softly.

Tohma looked confused, "Why not? You think I'd, what, treat you differently because you have this other side to you?"

Zakuro nodded as she continued to stare at the floor. As she did so, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. Tohma pulled Zakuro into a hug, working his hands between her protruding tail and back.

"Come on," he whispered into her pointed ear, "give me more credit than that."

A few silent tears fell down Zakuro's face, as she slowly changed back into her own self.

"Come on, we need to get some sleep, we'll walk home together tomorrow in the morning," Tohma said softly.

Zakuro nodded as Tohma helped her onto the bed, where she fell asleep with her face buried in Tohma's chest.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Over the next few weeks, nothing entirely special happened. Chimera Animal attacks were none too serious, nothing extremely thought out. Everyone went about their business, Zakuro being pulled away for a photo shoot or interview and what not every once in a while, Tohma of course being dragged along, whether willingly or not. There was a huge scandal that came out of this though, one where news was spreading around that Fujiwara Zakuro had finally found a significant other. Tohma himself had laid the rumor to rest, supplying the fact that he and Zakuro were just very close friends, that they were by no means a couple. Zakuro had agreed with the statement, but somehow, it didn't settle very well with her. Every time Tohma said that they weren't together and that they were simply friends, it always seemed to put a damper on Zakuro's spirits, though she hid that reaction well.

On one particular day though, during a fight with a Chimera Animal, something happened that never happened before. The Cyniclon's ship hovered above the fight, as a spectator rather than a participant.

"You better not miss, Kisshu…we only have this one shot…"

"I know…and that one shot's all I need…" The screen in front of Kisshu displayed the fight below, and a single cross-hair, flitting around and following Ichigo as she leapt around, trying to attack or evade the Chimera Animal.

"Neh…Just take the shot…I'm getting bored here…"

"Zip it, Taruto!" Kisshu growled. When the cross-hair fell on Ichigo again as she stopped to regain her breath, Kisshu smirked. "Come to me, kitten…" Kisshu pushed a button below the screen they were all staring at, and a thin blue beam was shot out of the ship and encircled Ichigo, making her movements instantly freeze.

Tohma and Zakuro both noticed the action take place and, without knowing what the beam did exactly, both ran towards Ichigo to try and help. Tohma got there first and did the only thing he could think of. Without stopping, he shoved Ichigo out from underneath the beam, causing Ichigo to fall out, and Tohma to stand paralyzed in the beam. Zakuro fell into the beam as well, just as the beam retracted back into the Cyniclon ship, taking Tohma and Zakuro with it.

Kisshu cursed at the top of his lungs.

"Calm down, Kisshu…this was better than we planned. Now we have two of them," Pai said, though his voice was indifferent as always.

"But I wanted to get Ichigo…" Kisshu moaned.

Ichigo got up from where she fell after she was pushed, shaking her head to get rid of the flashing lights in her eyes. She looked at the ship. "Kisshu! Give them back!"

There was a groan that came from the ship's external speakers. "Sorry, kitten. No can do. But tell you what. We'll trade you for them. You get these two back, if you girls decide to hand over all the Mew Aqua you possess. We know how you girls would like to think it over, so we'll give you till the end of the week to decide. If you wish to see your friends again, bring the Mew Aqua to the edge of town, and in the forest at the end of the week. Only then will you see your friends again." With that, the ship sped off, away from the fight.

Inside the ship, Tohma and Zakuro suddenly appeared, their movements unfrozen, and crashed into each other. Tohma reached out and grabbed Zakuro, pulling her on top of him so that he would not fall on her instead or have her hit the ground.

"Ow…" Zakuro moaned, the crash still having an effect on her. "Tohma…Are you ok…?" Zakuro got off of Tohma and helped him up.

"Thanks…" Tohma said, getting to his feet. "Where are we…?"

"You're in our ship…" A voice said behind them.

They spun around to see Kisshu, Pai, and Taruto standing there.

"What's going on here?!" Zakuro demanded.

"You two are now our bargaining chips with the other Mew Mews…" Kisshu explained. "At the end of the week your little friends with be giving us all the Mew Aqua you girls possess for your safe return."

"You little creep…!" Zakuro tried to summon up her whip, but nothing happened. "W-what?!"

"As you can see, our ship nullifies all non-Cyniclon powers, which includes your Mew Mew powers." Kisshu smirked.

"Actually, to be more precise it prevents the change of non-Cyniclon powers, up or down." Pai corrected. "So not only can you not use your weapons, you can't revert back into your human form."

"So basically you're stuck like that." Taruto said, nodding at Zakuro's outfit.

"You sick little-!" Zakuro started forward but Tohma held her back.

"Zakuro, no!" Tohma hissed, wrapping his arm around her waist to hold her back.

"Why not?!" Zakuro growled back.

"In this kind of situation they only need one hostage…don't make them start thinking that having two is too much of a hassle…"

Zakuro understood Tohma's logic and, rather reluctantly, calmed down.

"There…no if you've finished throwing your little hissy fit, come with us…" Kisshu said, walking off with Pai and Taruto.

After glancing at each other, Zakuro and Tohma followed them. They were led to a secluded part of the ship where it only contained one room. Taruto opened the door and Pai pushed Zakuro and Tohma in.

"This is where you two will be staying until the deal is dealt with. We were expecting to catch Ichigo so there's only one bed in here." Pai told them. "Meaning you two will have to share or something."

"Yep," Kisshu smirked. "So play nicely."

Before either Zakuro or Tohma could retort, Taruto slammed the door closed.

Zakuro growled. "What now?!"

Tohma shrugged as he sat down on the single bed. "I guess there's nothing we can do except wait…"

"So…" Zakuro hesitated. "Who's getting the bed…"

"I don't mind the floor…" Tohma shrugged again.

"It looks rather uncomfortable…" Zakuro said, hoping she didn't sound like she was implying anything.

"Do you have any other suggestions?"

"Well…" Zakuro blushed a little. "I wouldn't mind…sharing…the bed with you…"

Tohma looked down at the bed he was sitting on. "It doesn't look too big…are you sure you're ok with that?"

Zakuro blushed a little more before nodding. "I don't mind…"

"Alright, if you say so…" Tohma said, laying on the bed and leaving room for Zakuro. "It is kinda late…and since we have nothing better to do…maybe we should just get some sleep…"

Zakuro nodded and, after hesitating a little, got on to the bed next to Tohma, her back facing to him and practically touching him. "G-goodnight then…" Zakuro mumbled, thankful that Tohma couldn't see her blush.

"Good night…" Tohma leaned over a little and kissed Zakuro on the cheek, making her meep and blush even deeper as Tohma turned away from her and went to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Zakuro awoke and felt very disoriented. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was. Then, it slowly came back to her. She was held captive in the Cyniclon's ship, as a bargaining chip for the Mew Aqua. She looked around and found two plates of food near the door. When she saw the food, her stomach gave a growl. She hadn't had dinner the night before, so now she was rather hungry. The got out of the bed and walked over to the plates of food. On one was some scrambled eggs, toast, pancakes, and bacon, the other holding some fruit.

Zakuro smiled. She figured that Tohma had probably left it for her. However the moment her mind reached Tohma, she whirled around, looking around the room. Tohma was no where to be seen. Hurriedly she moved the plates out of the way and quickly opened the door and ran out, only to run into someone and fall back on her tail. Zakuro yelped as she landed on her tail. She looked up to see who she had hit and saw Tohma getting to his feet.

"Tohma! I'm so sorry! Where'd you go?! I was worried th-" Zakuro froze when she realized that Tohma had walked in, without a shirt on, his face slightly wet, and a towel around his neck. Zakuro's face immediately became red hot and she quickly looked away.

"Zakuro! I'm sorry…I didn't see you there…I thought you'd still be asleep." Tohma said, helping Zakuro get to her feet, which only proved to make her blush even more.

"T-thanks…" Zakuro stammered.

Tohma smiled and picked up the plates that were set aside and brought them over to the bed. "I got these for you…I figured that you'd be hungry…"

"D-did the Cyniclons make that…or let you go get them…or…" Zakuro asked, taking a tentative bite of the eggs.

Tohma smiled. "I made them of course." Zakuro felt herself grow flustered as soon as she swallowed. "It's amazing how different the Cyniclons act when they're not trying to steal Mew Aqua…they're actually really friendly. And quite interested in Earth's 'cultures', so they asked me to teach them how to play basketball…"

"How are you going to do that?" Zakuro asked, hesitantly taking another bite of eggs.

"This ship is actually really big…they have an entire gymnasium in here…" Tohma said. "I was going to go after I checked up on you…"

Zakuro smiled. "Thanks…I think I'm good…after I finish…I'll try and find you…"

Tohma nodded and got up. "I'll see you later then…try not to get lost." He smiled, kissed Zakuro on the cheek, and left.

As soon as Tohma left, Zakuro gently set the plates of food back on the floor, and flung herself onto the bed, wailing and beating on the mattress. Why did what ever Tohma did something for her she'd get so flustered? Why was she watching him like some sort of fan girl chasing after a celebrity? Zakuro knew the symptoms, and she didn't like what they usually lead to. She shouldn't be thinking like that about someone who's supposed to be just her childhood friend…

A while later, after Zakuro had calmed down and finished her breakfast, she found a bathroom and was happy to find she was able to perform all of her morning routines. After that she set out to find Tohma and the others. She could safely say she got completely lost, though she was surprised when she found herself in what looked like a green house. After a while she managed to find the gymnasium, walking in to find Tohma, Pai, Kissu, and Taruto in the middle of a game. As she watched, Tohma had taken a shot at the basket, but Taruto had teleported up to the basket and knocked the ball away, as if spiking a volleyball, and hitting it accidently towards Zakuro.

"Zakuro! Watch out!" Tohma called.

Zakuro flinched and tried to shield herself with her arms. Before the ball had hit her, Pai teleported in front of her and caught the ball.

"You ok…?" He asked, looking back at Zakuro.

"Y-you helped me…why?" Zakuro asked, completely bewildered.

"Well…I couldn't just let you get hit right…?" Pai said, trying to find a convincing excuse.

"R-right…of course…" 'Maybe they're not as bad as I thought…' Zakuro thought to herself as Pai flew back into the game.

All Zakuro had ever known the Cyniclons as was evil, heartless aliens bent on reclaiming their planet and wouldn't stop until every last human was destroyed. But now…what was she seeing? Not only were Taruto and Kisshu laughing at Pai's "heroism" but Tohma as well, Kisshu doubled over and holding his stomach from laughing too hard at Pai's embarrassment, and Tohma leaning on him for support. They looked nothing more than old time friends, laughing at another's embarrassment.

The thought lingered with Zakuro all through the day. While she was all stiff at being around her enemies, it shocked her to see how much fun Tohma was having with them, laughing and joking, sharing stories and learning about each other.

When night came, they bade each other good night and Tohma lead Zakuro back to their "prison" though now it just seemed nothing more than a shabby guest room.

"Why are you being so friendly with them?" Zakuro asked Tohma, after a minute of silent walking.

Tohma looked over his shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"They're supposed to be our enemies… We're their prisoners to trade for the Mew Aqua." Zakuro's frustration was getting to her voice. "They want to kill every single human so they can reclaim Earth! Or have you forgotten?!"

Tohma shrugged. "I dunno…I mean…they just seemed so…normal…like there wasn't any difference between them and humans…it's like they're not the enemy anymore."

"Are you insane?!" Zakuro almost screamed. "'Not the enemy'?! Tohma, they've been trying to kill us!"

Tohma opened the door to their room. "And I suppose when you were fantasizing about Pai being you're knight in shining armor, you had still labeled them as 'heartless killers'…" He turned to face her, a look of defiance and a tinge of hurt etched on his face.

Zakuro turned red and ran forward, beating her fists against Tohma's chest. "That was completely uncalled for!" Tohma started to back up. "How could you say something like that?! You stupid jer-" Tohma had ran into the bed, cutting Zakuro off as she ran into him, knocking them both on the bed, Zakuro landing on Tohma.

They both pushed themselves up, though their position remained unnoticed. Tohma looked away, still thinking Zakuro's outburst was a huge overreaction and was in turn uncalled for. She was there, watching them play. She could testify how well they could get along, and how once you look at it, humans and Cyniclons weren't really too different.

Zakuro, however, had the whole issue wiped clean from her mind. She took little notice how she was now straddling Tohma's waist. The only thing that registered in her mind was how hurt Tohma looked, and how much it made her want to apologize. Yet the things unregistered by her conscious, was what seemed to be what her body was reacting to. She leaned forward slightly, slowly, moving closer to Tohma, her wolf ears pulled back. Their position made her heart beat faster and she found that she suddenly couldn't think straight. She placed a hand on Tohma's chest, so she wouldn't fall over, making him look up at her, making her ears perk up at the attention focused on her. Suddenly, without thinking, Zakuro closed her eyes and kissed him. Tohma was thoroughly shocked by the kiss, but gradually, he accepted the kiss, and mimicked it.

Tohma and Zakuro remained like that for a while, never breaking the kiss, until Zakuro felt Tohma's tongue slide across her lips, and she opened her eyes slowly. Then, everything dawned on Zakuro, their position and their current action. Zakuro quickly pulled herself out of the kiss, her face beet red and Tohma simply looking crestfallen that the kiss had ended already.

"I-I am so sorry…" Zakuro stammered, trying to keep the words coming out in an understandable fashion. She felt her whole body shaking in embarrassment. "I didn't mean to…I mean I wasn't thinking…I mean…I didn't know what I was doing…" Zakuro felt like she was going to cry. Never had she done something so embarrassing and all Tohma did was just stare at her back, not responding to her ramblings at all. "I going to go to bed now…" And with that, Zakuro turned her back on Tohma and laid down, drawing the covers around her tightly.

Tohma just sat there, watching. Zakuro's ears were pressed flat on her head, her tail tucked between her legs.

"Hey…" Tohma placed a hand on Zakuro's side, making her jump. "You ok…?"

Zakuro gave a sniff and shook her head.

"What's wrong…?"

"…I'm sorry…" Zakuro mumbled.

"What about?" Tohma leaned closer.

"I'm just…really confused right now…" Zakuro wiped a tear from her face. "I…just don't know what I want anymore…"

Tohma wrapped his arm around Zakuro's waist, and pulled her closer. For a moment, Zakuro considered struggling, but then she thought there was no point trying to deny it any longer. She leaned back into his grip.

"I think you know exactly what you want…" Tohma whispered in her ear.

Zakuro blushed and started to cry again. "I'm so sorry…This whole time…I've been so focused on trying to see you as just my childhood friend…where in the end…it just turns into this…"

Tohma turned her around. "You say that like it's a bad thing…"

"I just knew you wouldn't have felt the same way…" Zakuro said, crying and clutching to his shirt. "But I couldn't help it…everyday…I just…" Zakuro buried her face into his chest and began to sob. "I'm so sorry… Please don't hate me for this…but I love you so much…I can't stand the thought of losing you…" She looked up at Tohma. "Please…I beg you…don't hate me for what I said earlier…"

Tohma brought a hand to Zakuro's face, and gently wiped the tears from her face. "I could never hate you…" He pulled her closer, making Zakuro's ears perk up in surprise. "And don't sell yourself short…you never know…" He hooked his finger under her chin and tilted her head up so she could look at him. "Cause the truth is…" He kissed her deeply, making her eyes widen in shock. But too soon, he pulled away. "…I love you too…"

Yet again Zakuro felt her eyes tear up and she buried her face in Tohma's chest, and she cried as Tohma wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Zakuro awake the next morning to find she was once again alone in bed. She pushed herself up and felt the covers slid off of her. As she pushed herself up, the door opened and Tohma walked in, towel around his waist and neck, making Zakuro blush at the sight. Tohma noticed her looking at him and smiled.

"Morning…" He cupped her cheek with a hand and kissed her gently.

"M-morning…" Zakuro mumbled, looking away, still blushing.

Tohma's face fell. "Is something wrong…?"

"N-no…" Zakuro smiled up at Tohma. "Just…" She averted her eyes. "…not used to that…"

"Oh…I'm sorry…"

Zakuro got off the bed. "Nononono…it's not you're fault…it's just…I guess last night hasn't quite sunk in yet…"

Tohma looked at her and smiled. "Alright…well…the shower's free if you want to use it…"

He smiled, but Zakuro could hear the downed feelings in his voice. "Thanks…" Zakuro hesitated at first, but then placed a hand on his chest and stood on her toes to kiss him slightly on the cheek. Quickly, without looking for a reaction, Zakuro left the room.

When she entered the bathroom she quickly closed the door, and locked it. Leaning against the door, she thought. She felt that it was too early, that she wasn't allowed enough time to grasp the fact that not only was she in love…she was loved too. Zakuro sighed as she undressed and stepped into the shower.

'Remember, everything happens for a reason. If it happens, it was meant to be, there's a reason for it, though we may not see it right away or at all. So just go with it.' Those were the words she heard when she had found out that Tohma was moving away and they floated back into her head as the water cascaded down onto her. She supposed, the thought of allowing someone get so close to her scared her. She didn't want to feel like she lost someone close to her again, like the time when she thought Tohma had died.

'If it happens, it was meant to be, there's a reason for it, though we may not see it right away or at all.' She can't change the past...she could only influence the future. She had to accept what happened…and if she wanted to remain happy with Tohma…she would have to shape her future herself.

'If it happens, it was meant to be…' Zakuro steeled herself up. If anything good were to come out of the night before, she would have to meet him half way. She was scared that she might lose Tohma in the end, but it just meant that Zakuro will have to try even harder to keep him to her. She wasn't going to lose the guy she loved twice in one life time.

Tohma was lying down on the bed, musing about Zakuro's reaction. Maybe he was too forward? According to articles Zakuro had never had a significant other so she'd be knew too all this. He loved Zakuro though and he knew that for sure, so he didn't regret what he had done, just hoped that over time Zakuro would become accustomed to his presence.

Just then, Zakuro entered the room, towel wrapped around her chest and using a second to dry her hair and ears. Tohma tried to sit up but Zakuro walked up slowly and pushed him back down. Tohma looked at Zakuro, a bit of confusion etched on his face. Zakuro climbed on top of him and laid her head on his chest, getting comfortable. Tohma couldn't help but smile and scratch the back of her ear. Zakuro smiled and purred, leaning into his hand, causing him to start petting her head.

Zakuro looked up at Tohma. "I'm…sorry about earlier…I guess I was just…startled…"

Tohma shook his head, brushing the apology away, stroking the back of her head. "I pushed too much…"

This time Zakuro shook her head. "I guess…I was scared…" She looked away. "I didn't want to get close, cause I didn't want to lose someone so close to me again…"

Tohma held her close. "I won't leave you…I'll always be with you…I promise…"

Zakuro looked up and leaned forward, kissing him gently, before blushing and pulling back as someone knocked on the door. Quickly, Zakuro got up and opened the door to see Pai standing there holding out Zakuro's and Tohma's clothing. Pai felt his face grow hot when he saw Zakuro standing there with nothing but a towel on.

"Well what did you expect? You're holding our clothes…" Zakuro asked, taking the clothing from him. Pai just stood there, dumb-founded. Zakuro snapped her fingers in front of his face, making him jerk to attention. "We can't have you just standing there can we…?"

"R-right…sorry…" Pai hastened to leave.

Zakuro separated her clothing from Tohma's and threw his to him, covering his face. "Don't look…"

Tohma chuckled, laying there with his shirt covering his face. "What…don't trust me…?"

Zakuro couldn't help but smile as she got dressed. "You know…this loose attitude around the Cyniclons will come to an end soon…we can't treat them like friends forever…"

Tohma sighed. "Yeah…I know…"

Zakuro walked over to Tohma and took his hand and tugged, making him look up at her. "Come on…let's go get something to eat…"

Tohma smiled and nodded, getting up and putting his shirt on before following her. That day went on just the same as it had the day before, at meals they would talk about themselves, learning about one another, and then Tohma would continue playing basketball with the other three while Zakuro watched and cheered from the sidelines.

That night, however, after Zakuro had fallen asleep in Tohma's arms again, Kisshu and Pai entered their room.

"You wanted to talk to us?" asked Pai

Tohma looked up and nodded. He took the hand that Zakuro wasn't sleeping on and brought a finger to his mouth to tell them to talk quietly.

"So, what up?" asked Kisshu.

"This Deep Blue you're trying to get the Mew Aqua for," Tohma said, "is there some reason you follow him so blindly?"

"Because he promised us that we'd get this planet back for us," replied Pai.

"Is there any guarantee that he will?" asked Tohma.

"Well that…uh…" Pai had no response to this.

"You know, there is always a possibility you can live with humans instead of killing them all," said Tohma.

"But you humans are the ones who are killing the planet, isn't that right?" asked Kisshu.

Tohma sighed and gently pulled his arm from underneath Zakuro out, careful not to wake her.

"That is true," replied Tohma, "but that's why we have nature freaks like Masaya Aoyama to try and make things better."

"One person won't be enough to help an entire planet," said Pai.

"There are many others," Tohma corrected him. "Instead of trying to kill every human and having to rebuild by yourselves you could live with humans and try and help. Just 'cause this Deep Blue guy says he would give you the planet, what's stopping him from taking it for himself? Or killing you all once he possesses all of the Mew Aqua?"

"The humans will never accept us…" Kisshu argued.

"Maybe cause you try to kill them every other week…"

Kisshu and Pai fell silent. Then, "We'll think about your offer, but until then…" Kisshu didn't have go on.

"Well… I guess I can only wait for that time to come," said Tohma, lying back down, arm over Zakuro again, and they left.

After a few more days, the Cyniclon ship descended down to Earth. The other Mew Mews were already standing there waiting with the Mew Aqua in Mint's hands.

"Hey…Tohma…" Kisshu spoke up as Mint started walking forward, as did Zakuro. Tohma looked at him. "We thought about what you said…and…we've decided that we won't be joining you…not yet…"

"We need to find some answers first from Deep Blue…" Pai said. "If he can give us enough proof…then these past days never happened."

Tohma sighed as he started off after Zakuro. "I hope for our sake he doesn't…"

Kisshu couldn't help but smile. "We'll see each other again…soon…" Then, he and Pai went back into their ship and flew off.

Tohma watched the ship disappear into the sky before joining the others.

"I thought they wanted to trade for the Mew Aqua…" Mint asked, confused.

"Something came up…" Tohma said simply, making Zakuro give him a curious look.

"Well at least you're back right?" Ichigo asked, giving Zakuro a hug.

"You were actually going to trade the Mew Aqua for us?" Tohma asked.

"Ryou was against it at first, but he gave in to the girls," said Keiichiro, pulling Ichigo off of Zakuro.

"Wow, Shirogane, I'm so touch that you had our best interests at heart," Tohma said, sarcastically.

"You're welcome," Ryou replied, indifferently.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

They had walked back to Café Mew Mew, and the girls were still with Zakuro talking about what had happened during their capture. She had told them everything and Tohma had told the guys, except they both purposely left out whatever had happened in their room. It wasn't long till Keiichiro had noticed Zakuro was still transformed, where as the other girls had slowly released their transformation, one by one.

"Zakuro," Keiichiro called out, making all the girls to look up at him, "You know there is no reason for you to stay in that form."

"That's something I've been meaning to talk to you about," Zakuro said, as her gaze shifted from Keiichiro to Tohma, "I still can't change back."

"What? Still?" asked Tohma, "But you're not in that ship anymore."

"I know, that's what I don't get," Zakuro said, a little worried.

"So you can't change back?" asked Keiichiro, "And this happened on their ship as well?"

"Yeah," replied Tohma, "They had some sort of field that stopped all non-Cyniclon type powers. Though, I would think that it wouldn't continue if we weren't on the ship."

"I thought so too," said Zakuro, "But I've been trying to change back."

"Maybe we should run a check-up to see what's going on," said Keiichiro, and Zakuro nodded in agreement.

When they got downstairs Keiichiro started running some tests. After he did several scans, everyone crowded around him and the computer, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Well, there doesn't seem to be any lasting harm, from what I see," said Ryou, who was also looking over Keiichiro's shoulder, "But there is a residue of whatever was blocking your powers that you got on their ship. It will go away, just not now."

"And you can't tell me how long it will be?" asked Zakuro.

Keiichiro shook his head.

"Great," Zakuro sighed, sounding frustrated. "And I'm supposed to walk around with this tail and these ears poking out?"

He shrugged.

Zakuro gave an impatient sigh.

"In that case we'd better call it for a day," Tohma said, and he looked up at Zakuro. "With your tail and ears sticking out, you can't really do much anyways. Come on, I'll walk you home."

Zakuro nodded and ran after him. Tohma found a hooded trench coat from the closet in the room where he was placed after he was attacked by Pai. Tohma gave it to Zakuro to cover herself and they left the Café Mew Mew. When they reached Zakuro's house, they stopped.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then…?" Tohma asked with a smile, running a hand across her cheek, making her blush slightly.

"I guess…" Zakuro muttered, sounding slightly downcast and looking away.

"What's wrong?" Tohma asked, peering down into her face.

Zakuro was silent for a moment before she shook her head and looked up at Tohma, smiling. "It's nothing…" She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. "Good night then…"

Tohma seemed unconvinced but nodded all the same and left. Zakuro went into her house and a wave a familiarity hit her. It felt good to get back to a familiar setting. It was still slightly early but Zakuro couldn't come up with what to do so she decided to turn in for the day. She changed into loose sleeping wear and fell onto her bed.

It was nice to be on her own bed for the first time in a few days. She thought she would fall asleep instantly due to the comfort of her own bed, but she kept rolling around, tossing and turning. Something felt wrong, like something was missing. Zakuro looked at the digital clock on her night stand. It read 11:38. Zakuro sighed and turned over yet again.

By no she was bored. Unable to fall asleep and forced to wait as the minutes rolled by. She turned over once more and picked up her phone off of the night stand. She was so tempted to call Tohma, just to see what he was doing. But Zakuro reasoned with herself that he might already be sleeping. Zakuro fought with herself for a couple minutes before starting to dial Tohma's number. She winced however when she was greeted with a yawn and a sleepy "Hello?"

"I'm sorry…did I wake you?" Zakuro asked.

"No, not at all…" Tohma lied. "What's up?"

"I dunno…I just can't seem to fall asleep." Zakuro said with a shrug. "Just wondering what you were doing."

"Nothing really…just thinking of you…"

Zakuro giggled slightly. "Geez…must you insist on being so cheesy…?"

"Yes…" Tohma said with a chuckle.

Zakuro giggled again before they both fell silent. After a while, Zakuro spoke up again. "It feels lonely here…being here by myself now…"

Tohma gave another chuckle. "Would you like me to come over?"

Zakuro blushed and shock her head. "Nononono…I don't want to cause you any trouble."

"It's no trouble at all…just let me get changed and I'll be right over…"

"O-ok…" Zakuro heard Tohma hang up and she headed downstairs to wait.

After a couple minutes, the bell rang, signaling someone at the gate.

"Hello?" Zakuro called through the intercom.

"It's me…" Tohma's voice came floating though.

Zakuro giggled. "Sorry…I don't know anyone by that name…"

"Oh…I see…I guess I'll just head back home then…"

"Nonono…Tohma…" Zakuro pouted, though she knew he couldn't see it, and she opened the gate.

There was a knock at her door and she opened it, seeing Tohma standing there, smiling.

"Hey there…miss me?" Tohma asked.

Zakuro gave a small giggle. "Oh so much…"

Tohma stepped through the threshold and Zakuro closed the door.

"So…feeling lonely already, huh?" Tohma asked, taking off the jacket he was wearing.

Zakuro blushed a little. "Sort of…I've never lived anyone apart from my parents…so I guess…being with you felt better than being alone."

"Aw…that's so cute…" Tohma teased.

Zakuro shot him a glare, making him chuckle. Zakuro sighed and took Tohma by the hand. "Come on…I'll show you around…"

Zakuro pulled Tohma into the different rooms of her manor like house. Eventually she took him to her bedroom and she sat on her bed, allowing him to wander around as he pleased. He reached a door that opened up to a balcony outside Zakuro's room before turning his attention back to Zakuro.

"It must be nice to be rich and famous…"

Zakuro sighed. "It's not as great when you actually are…it's actually quite lonely…People don't want to know you for you…they just want to know you for favors or the status…it gets kinda tiring after a while…"

Tohma sat down on the bed next to Zakuro and hugged her. "Well I'll always be with you…for you…"

Zakuro felt herself simply melt in his arms. "I know…thanks…" Instantly, as she laid there in Tohma's arms, she could feel herself growing sleepy, and eventually fall asleep in his arms.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Zakuro woke up, slowly opening her eyes, pushed herself up, and looked around. She saw Tohma sitting on her windowsill, looking outside. Quietly, she got out of her bed walked over to where he sat.

"Tohma…you're still here…"

Tohma looked around at her as she wrapped her arms around his chest. "Of course…why wouldn't I be?"

Zakuro shrugged and leaned against his back. She looked outside the window and saw the sun just barely peeking out over the horizon. "Did you sleep at all?"

"With you snoring how could I?" Tohma smirked.

Zakuro shot him a look. Without saying a word to him, she moved around him and settled into his lap.

"Was something bothering you?" Tohma asked, setting his arm behind her back to keep her up.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Zakuro asked, looking up at him.

"You were twisting and turning in your sleep…but whenever I tried to wake you…you'd be fine the moment I touched you…"

Zakuro sighed and looked away. "I was…dreaming about my parents…"

"Why? Did something happen between you and them?"

Zakuro hesitated. "Well…they've never been to…supportive of my career choice…or about much of anything that I've done with my life…"

"Why wouldn't they be supportive of your career? Aren't you like…really really famous?" Tohma asked, seeming to be extremely confused.

"Well…yeah…I guess it's not the career or anything that bothers them…it's my reasons for doing things…"

"And why's that?"

Zakuro bit her lip. "I-it's nothing important…forget it…" She made to get up but Tohma held firm.

"Tell me…"

"…W-well…the only reason I started doing dancing was because…well..." Zakuro blushed and looked up at Tohma. "Before you moved you had always liked to watch me dance. So…after you left I practiced as hard as I could to be the best I could at dancing so I could show you the day you came back. One thing lead to another and before I knew it I was scouted to be a model."

"So…all this was because of me?"

Zakuro nodded. "I've been fearing what they'd say if they found out that you were once again in my life. I can't really say that they exactly…liked you…They kept saying that you were too big of an influence on my life."

"Do you regret what you did?" Tohma asked, pulling her a bit closer.

"Of course not," Zakuro said at once, shaking her head. "I've always been happy about modeling and dancing. But…well…" Zakuro sighed. "It'd be nice if I could see my parents once in a while…They always away so often that they actually felt it was better if I got a place of my own."

"I'm sorry…" Tohma said, feeling slightly guilty.

Zakuro waved away his apology. "What's done is done…you can't change the past…Besides, as I said I don't regret my decision. I'm happy with my career and I'm staying with it."

Tohma smiled. "Well…in any case you better get ready." Zakuro gave him a bewildered look. "We still have school today after all."

Zakuro looked at Tohma and realized that he was already in his school uniform.

"I got this while you were sleeping…I figured I'd be staying here for the night…" Tohma said, answering the look she was giving him.

"You can't seriously be thinking about going to school…After what's been happening this week?"

"You just don't want to go to school, do you?"

"Not one bit…" Zakuro gave a slight huff and leaned against Tohma, making him laugh a little. "Besides…how can I? I still have my ears and tail."

"You don't have to worry about that…don't you remember? Today's Halloween…the day you can look like anything and no one will pay too much attention to you. They'll just think this is a costume," Tohma said, tugging slightly on Zakuro's tail.

Zakuro yelped slightly when he pulled her tail. It felt oddly good and she wished he'd do it again, but she pushed back the temptation. "But…oh fine…"

Tohma laughed again as Zakuro pushed herself up and started to undress. Tohma hastened to leave. "I'll just wait outside."

Zakuro looked up as she heard the door snap shut, just finishing in pulling off her shirt. She blushed heavily when she realized what she had just done. She couldn't believe how relaxed she was being around Tohma, to a point where undressing in front of him didn't even reach her mind. What was wrong with her?!

Zakuro was finished in twenty minutes and they were out of her house in another ten. She was astonished to see that Tohma had been right when he said no one would pay too much attention to her. Apart from the normal amount of attention she received.

"Zakuro you look so cute like that!" "How did you get it to look so real?!" Ok so they did pay attention to it, but she was a celebrity and it was accepted.

The day was normal and like any other day, except there were hints of costumes all over the place. There was the dress code of the school to take into consideration but costumes were still noticeable. The café was no different. Each of the girls liked the idea of "dressing up" as their Mew Mew forms, Mint only persuaded after Zakuro said she liked the idea.

It was the end of the day and while they were closing the café, Tohma was in the kitchen helping with the dishes, when Mint walked in, carrying a stack of plates.

"Hey Mint." Tohma greeted her, looking up for a second to smile at her before going back to the dishes.

"Hey…" Mint replied, speaking so quietly Tohma just barely heard her.

"Is something wrong…?" Tohma asked her.

Mint shrugged. "Not exactly…just kinda…thinking about things…"

"Oh…?" Tohma grabbed a nearby towel and dried his hands, turning so his back was leaning on the sink, and looked at Mint. "Something you want to talk about?"

It's just…Zakuro seems to really like you…I just can't see why…" Mint mused, not at all ashamed of her topic of conversation.

"Well…then maybe you should ask her then…cause I wouldn't know…"

Mint shook her head. "No…and besides…it just doesn't seem right…Zakuro is an international star while you're just a…" Mint gave a hint of a grimace. "Commoner…"

Tohma gave a small laugh. "Well…not everyone can be that successful can they now?"

"It's just…I don't see what's so special about you that makes it so that you deserve having Zakuro…"

Tohma blinked. "Excuse me…?"

Mint looked up at him. "What? I mean you're always so relaxed, you don't really care about anything that happens, you always have that happy-go-lucky-attitude…maybe a little dulled down version but never the less… How can someone like you compare to the sophisticated persona of Zakuro…?"

Tohma frowned. "Look…I don't know what you're trying to drive at here but know this…I'm not trying to compare myself to anyone, especially not Zakuro. If she likes me like you say she does then she must have her reasons. And if she says she likes me then the difference of our personas doesn't seem like too big of an issue." Tohma turned so that he was fully facing Mint. "It doesn't matter if she likes me or hates me, if she's happy then that's that…"

"I see…" Mint seemed to be pondering something before she stood straight and walked right in front of Tohma. After a second or two she leaned forward, standing on her toes, and kissed Tohma on the lips.

Stunned was just the surface of what Tohma was feeling at that moment. The suddenness of the kiss and the bewilderment prevented Tohma from moving. He stayed froze until there was a loud crash and Tohma finally regained his senses and pushed Mint roughly away from him. They both turned to see Zakuro standing in the door way, a pile of shattered plates at her feet and a shocked and hurt look on her face.

Before anyone said anything, Zakuro turned tail and ran, through the café and out the front doors.

"Zakuro!" Tohma quickly ran after her, almost knocking into Lettuce on his way out and tossing the apron he was wearing in the kitchen to Keiichiro.

Confused, Lettuce peeked into the kitchen to see Mint standing there, relaxed and not surprised, leaning on the kitchen sink.

"Well…he's not the best kisser around…and a commoner at that…but it was worth it for Zakuro's sake." Mint said with a small giggle.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Tohma tried to follow Zakuro as best he could but she had had a considerable head start and it was dark outside. Eventually, Zakuro managed to lose him. Tohma trudged miserably along the path he was following, not really heading anywhere in particular but still attempting to look for Zakuro. As he walked, his mind went to Mint. Why had she kissed him? Did she know Zakuro was about to enter the kitchen? What did she hope to accomplish?

Tohma sighed and continued to walk, calling out Zakuro's name once or twice. All the while, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being followed. He looked over his shoulder but didn't see anyone at all. The feeling caused him to feel slightly uneasy. He turned back around to find Kisshu standing in front of him.

"Yo…long time no see…" Kisshu said. Without giving Tohma a chance to respond, Kisshu reached into his chest and pulled out his spirit crystal, causing Tohma's body to fall limply onto the ground. "Nothing against you or anything…just figured that since you've been resisting us for so long you must have a good strong spirit inside of you…" Where in one hand laid the spirit crystal, in Kisshu's other hand was the parasitic alien and he brought the two together. There was a bright flash and a hulking werewolf-like beast stood in front of Kisshu. "How fitting…" Kisshu joked. "You know what to do!"

The beast nodded and ran off into the darkness.

* * *

Zakuro sat on a set of swings that was set up not to far from the café, idly swinging back and forth. She couldn't believe what she had saw, Tohma kissing Mint, it simply broke her heart. She had been open with him about her feelings, shown him weakness as opposed the stubborn emotionless persona she shows everyone else, and especially who showed equal love towards her, and yet…

There was a breeze and Zakuro shivered, her waitress uniform not giving her body the best cover. It was times like this where she was glad she normally thought before acting, though unfortunately this wasn't one of them. A second breeze had her wishing that she had her…jacket? Zakuro looked around when she felt a jacket placed around her shoulders. Zakuro could tell instantly that it was the jacket she favored so much, the jacket that Tohma had given her. For a split second Zakuro had hoped yet feared that it was Tohma that was behind her. When she spun around she realized that it was not Tohma but Keiichiro.

"K-Keiichiro…w-what're you doing here?" Zakuro asked, glad that she was able to stop crying just moments before.

"I thought you might be cold…so I brought you your jacket." Keiichiro said with a smile.

Zakuro smiled back. "Thank you." It was amazing how the simplest things that Keiichiro seemed to do made everyone just that much happier.

Keiichiro sat on the swing next to Zakuro. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

Zakuro's face fell and she looked away. "I really don't feel like talking about anything right now…"

"Then why don't you just listen?" Zakuro looked up at Keiichiro in question. "Mint is…well…to put it bluntly…she's completely obsessive when it comes to you…" Keiichiro gave Zakuro a guilty and apologetic look. "Tohma loves you…everyone knows that…you should know that especially and unfortunately Mint does too. And of course you love him back." Zakuro looked like she was going to retort but Keiichiro cut her off. "You honestly think that you could let something like that slip by unnoticed? Something happened on the Cyniclon's ship, am I right?" Zakuro blushed slightly but didn't respond. "Even so…it was quite obvious…they way you pleaded that he be where ever you are, whether it was a photo shot or autograph signing…I'm sure you've already seen the news articles about you two… after what ever happened on that ship… what ever feelings you had for him then have been pour out of you like a leaky faucet. Sure it's only been a day…but a day's enough…and apparently too much for Mint. Mint…got jealous…"

Zakuro looked up at Keiichiro. "Y-you mean…"

"Tohma loves you…and that's not something you should be questioning…not without knowing his side of the story first." Keiichiro stood up. "I need to get back to the café…There's still quite a lot of cleaning to do…"

"Thanks…Keiichiro…" Zakuro said, as Keiichiro started to leave.

"Of course…" Keiichiro smiled and walked off.

Zakuro stood up after a while. She would return to the café too. She would return, and wait for Tohma's return, then, she would confront him face to face. Zakuro smiled. After talking with Keiichiro she knew that Tohma would always love her and wouldn't do anything to hurt her.

She was about to walk back towards the café when she heard movement in front of her. Curious, she hurried forward to find Keiichiro on the ground, clutching his side where three long slashes had appeared.

"Keiichiro?!" Zakuro rushed to his side. "Keiichiro! Are you ok?!"

Keiichiro got up slowly, hand still holding his bleeding side. "Yeah…some how…Zakuro, be careful. There's a Chimera Animal nearby."

"Did it do this to you?" Zakuro asked, tearing a bit of the hem of her uniform and tying it around his body to try and stop the bleeding.

"Yeah…I just came out of no where and attacked. Then he suddenly ran off…I think it knew you were coming…"

The wolf ears perched on Zakuro's head twitched. "Yeah…I have that same feeling…"

Quickly, Zakuro pulled Keiichiro to his feet, placing his arm around her shoulders and leaping up, getting both of them out of the way as the Chimera Animal took a swipe at them from behind. Zakuro set Keiichiro down at a distance she deemed safe and ran back.

"Zakuro! Wait! You can't fight him alone!" Keiichiro shouted.

"I have to! If I just leave it it'll just come back and you'll be in danger! You're already hurt. Just try and get back to the café!"

Before Keiichiro could respond, Zakuro had disappeared. Something was wrong with that Chimera Animal and Keiichiro knew Zakuro could feel it. The attack that the Chimera Animal had tried gave too much warning before hand. Keiichiro had gotten a glimpse of the Chimera Animal and knew that it was some sort of wolven Chimera Animal. It must've known Zakuro's DNA animal since they've been fighting the Cyniclons for a while now so why the delayed attack knowing that Zakuro could sense an enemy just as much as he could? The thought troubled Keiichiro as he got to his feet. He had to get the others, for he felt that there was more behind this attack then a simple attempt at the Cyniclons' plans.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

She needed to push the Chimera Animal away from where Keiichiro was. What ever happened she had to by time until he could get back to the café…

There was the sound of a twig snapping and Zakuro froze. Suddenly the slight sound of splintering wood reached her ears and she ducked, just as the tree behind her was ripped apart. Zakuro dove forward to avoid getting crushed by the falling tree. She looked up in time to see a clawed hand descend down and grab her by the throat. The Chimera Animal lifted Zakuro up and slammed her against a tree, knocking the wind out of her. As Zakuro gasped for air, she kicked her legs wildly until she felt her foot connect with the Chimera Animal's stomach, making it keel over.

Zakuro got to her feet just as the Chimera Animal lunged at her. The Chimera Animal took a swing at Zakuro, but it was very slow and easy to dodge. Zakuro couldn't help but wonder if the Chimera Animal was simply that slow or doing it on purpose.

"Stop underestimating me!" Zakuro shouted and thrust her whip. Her attack pierced the Chimera Animal in the chest. Zakuro had expected it to explode and revert back into the spirit crystal and parasitic alien but found her whip repelled.

"I won't be that easy anymore," a voice said from above.

Zakuro looked to see Kisshu floating there. "What do you want?!"

"Just here to watch…and to tell you that's no ordinary Chimera Animal you're fighting…:"

"What do you mean by that?!" Zakuro glared at Kisshu.

"Well…" Kisshu scratched his head, as if thinking. "Let's just say that the new parasites are rather…attached to those they claim…So there's no reversing the process like before. The only down side is that if the soul is strong enough, some of its thoughts and feelings might leak through…"

"You mean that's why…?"

"It doesn't attack you with everything it's got?" Kisshu finished Zakuro's question. "Yep. I guess Tohma's soul was a little too…determined for it…"

"WHAT?! How could you?!" Zakuro screamed. This seemed to agitate the Chimera Animal for it lunged at Zakuro again, pinning her against a tree. "Tohma…I know you're still in there…you have to fight it!" The Chimera Animal merely growled. "How could you do this to him?! I thought…on the ship…"

"That's exactly why it has to be him...We've decided to leave Deep Blue but we still need the Mew Aqua for ourselves, but of course you girls would never hand it over… We won't hurt any more humans except those who stand in our way…And the only way to stop us now is to kill Tohma."

Zakuro tried to leap at Kisshu but the Chimera Animal pushed her roughly against the tree.

"Tohma…please…don't make me do this…" Zakuro whimpered, looking into the Chimera Animal's eyes.

Suddenly there was a shout. "Ribbon Strawberry Surprise!"

Zakuro looked up to see Ichigo's finishing attack flying at the Chimera Animal. Without so much as looking, the Chimera Animal deflected it with a swipe of its claws, faster than anything it had used on Zakuro so far.

"Ribbon Mint Arrow!"

"Ribbon Lettuce Rush!"

The Chimera Animal deflected the first strike but before it could strike again, Lettuce's attack hit it in the side, knocking it away from Zakuro. The other Mew Mews rushed to Zakuro's side.

"Are you ok?" Ichigo asked, but Zakuro wasn't paying attention.

"Tohma!" Zakuro got to her feet and started towards where the Chimera Animal had been knocked away.

"Tohma?! You're kidding right?!" Mint said.

"That can't be…!" Pudding cried out.

Before Zakuro reached the place where the Chimera Animal laid, it burst out from under the debris and charged at the other Mint, who, other than Zakuro, was the closest.

"Look out!" Zakuro shouted, running towards them. Zakuro managed to reach Mint before the Chimera Animal did and pushed Mint out of the way. She suddenly felt a sharp sting and a flare of pain in her side. The Chimera Animal had left four deep gashes in her side and, to prevent it from getting away and attacking anyone else, Zakuro grabbed its arm, holding it where it was.

"Zakuro!" Mint cried, getting up and moving forward to help Zakuro.

However, Zakuro shouted for Mint to stop. "Don't come any closer! He's stronger than most Chimera Animal we've fought in the past."

"But-"

Zakuro cut Ichigo off. "I'll handle him, you girls get out of here!!" Zakuro knew how to defeat the Chimera Animal and what it would cost, and she wouldn't let something like that be a burden on anyone other than herself.

"You're hurt…!" Lettuce said hesitantly.

"I'll take care of him!" Zakuro shouted.

"We can take him together!" Pudding cried, leaping forward to attack the Chimera Animal, only to be knocked back brutally.

"Pudding!"

The Chimera Animal thrashed about as the other Mew Mews ran to see if Pudding was alright.

Zakuro couldn't think of any way to stop it from hurting anyone else. There was a shock of pain in her side and she looked down again to see her side and leg was complete covered in blood that she had bled out. She started to feel slightly faint but stood strong. The moment she felt a slight slack in the Chimera Animal's arm, she quickly reached up and placed her hands on either side of its face.

"Tohma…I'm so sorry…" She kissed the Chimera Animal on the lips deeply. Everything seemed to freeze around them, Kisshu peering down from them in interest from above the trees and the other Mew Mews staring at the two. Zakuro pulled away slowly, tears running down her face, and placed the handle of her weapon against his chest. "Ribbon…Zakuro Spear…"

There was a flash of light and the handle of Zakuro's whip ignited, sending the tail of her whip straight through the Chimera Animal's chest. The Chimera Animal stumbled back a little, before its body started to disappear. First its hands and feet started to disappear, then its legs and arms. Before its head disappeared, it seemed to smile at Zakuro. It gave a soft, low growl, and clearly in Zakuro's head, as if the Chimera Animal had said it, she heard "Thank you…I love you…"

Eventually there was nothing and sitting on the tail of Zakuro's whip was a spirit crystal, the whip running through the middle of it. Then, it dropped uselessly to the ground in two separate pieces. It didn't have the normal glow of most spirit crystals. If she hadn't known, Zakuro would've said it was any ordinary gem.

"Tch…that was a waste…" Kisshu mumbled before disappearing.

The other Mew Mews walked slowly up to Zakuro.

"Zakuro…? You ok…?"

Zakuro turned her head to look at them, tears pouring from her eyes. Then, suddenly, she felt her legs give way, the blood she was losing from the wound in her side making her feel light headed. She fell to the floor with a thud, but Zakuro barely felt it at all. While the other Mew Mews rushed to her side, asking if she was ok, Zakuro didn't answer them, instead lifted her hand up and picked up the pieces of the spirit shard lying in the grass. She gave it a squeeze and she felt her vision go blurry. She was going to pass out any second now, she knew it, but she didn't care. If it meant being together with the one she loved, she could die for all she cared. Zakuro closed her eyes, tears still flowing out and soon became unconscious.

* * *

Hm...I don't seem to be getting many reviews at all...the predecessor of this story got a lot more than this...and a lot more veiws in general. I was nice while it lasted, I think it's better than before, which makes me happy. But if I don't see anyone showing any interest the next chapter will be the last. I hope at least a couple people have enjoyed it.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Zakuro's eyes opened with a snap and she sat bolt upright, which she found out a second later that it was a bad idea as he side flared up in pain and she fell back down. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked around see Keiichiro keeping her down.

"Don't move…you're pretty badly hurt…"

Zakuro nodded and slid back under the covers. "How long have I been out?"

"Only a day…I'm actually surprised that you're already awake…"

"At least I can wake…" Zakuro mumbled.

Keiichiro froze and looked at the lonely pop star. "Zakuro…"

"Keiichiro…thank you…but could I be alone for a little bit…?" Zakuro asked, not looking up at him.

Keiichiro hesitated for a moment but soon gave in. "Alright…but if you need me or Ryou just call…and…" Keiichiro dug into his pockets and pulled out what looked like a necklace. "Ryou spent forever getting this for you. He thought it might…cheer you up, at least a little…" Keiichiro set the necklace down on the nightstand and left the room, quietly closing the door.

Zakuro reached over to the nightstand and scooped up the necklace in her hand, examining it. It didn't look to special until she realized what it was. It was Tohma's spirit crystal, somehow mended back into a whole crystal instead of two halves of one. Tears welled up in Zakuro's eyes as she gripped the necklace in both hands and holding it to her chest.

The next day they had used some of the Mew Aqua to heal her but Zakuro still felt rather drained so she skipped school that day. Instead she hung around the café currently sitting on one of the tables in the underground lab, Tohma's spirit crystal hanging from her neck. Ryou sat at the main computer, not paying too much attention to the extra company, but since Zakuro remained quiet, even quieter than she normally was, she might as well have not been there at all. But even Ryou had his limits on how much silence he could take from someone. With all of the younger Mew Mews there would be constant questions on what he was doing or what effects would his work have in the future. But Zakuro rarely ever questioned, usually she understood and sometimes even explained things to the others. Even so, the lack of sound while someone else was in the room ended up making Ryou feel uneasy.

"Zakuro…"

"Hm?" Zakuro looked up at Ryou, an indifferent look on her face. But Ryou could see the distant look in her eyes.

"A-are you going to be ok…?"

Zakuro gave a gentle smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I'm fine…don't worry about me. Am I bothering you? Do you want me to leave?"

"No, you're fine where you are…it's just that…" Ryou's voice trailed off, hesitant to continue. "If…you wanted someone to talk to…you know…just…voice some of your feelings, I'm always willing to listen. Or Keiichiro if you don't feel comfortable with me…" Ryou's voice trailed of again.

This time when Zakuro smiled, her eyes brightened by a fraction. "Thanks for worrying about me, but I'll be fine…really."

"O-ok…" Ryou turned back to his computer. He wasn't good at comforting people, let alone comforting someone who just lost someone so important to them and Zakuro's presence remained as a heavy weight in his mind. "How about we run couple tests…see if we can't find how much longer you have to stay like that…" Ryou suggested, nodding at Zakuro, indicating her inability to return to her human form.

Zakuro saw no reason to refuse so she smiled and nodded. "Sure…thanks, Shirogane."

Ryou watched as Zakuro stepped into a cylindrical chamber and a door closed behind her. As soon as the door closed the chamber lit up and the whirring of machinery started up. After a good couple minutes the lit died out and the whirring came to a stop. The door opened to let Zakuro out and she walked over to stand behind Ryou to look at the results, though chances were that she would only understand about half of it, if even.

Charts and diagrams now filled Ryou's computer screen. One of the windows had a wire frame of Zakuro's body with a bright blue outline surrounding her entire body.

"Looks like the thing trapping your powers inside of you is starting to diminish. With any luck it'll be completely gone within the week." Ryou explained.

"That's good, I guess…" Zakuro said, indifferently.

Ryou winched at Zakuro's tone of voice but continued to look at the results. He pulled up what looked like Zakuro's body under a thermal imaging camera but it didn't show her body temperature. "It looks like you're energy is coming back. You're body used a lot of your Mew energy to heal yourself and after using the Mew Aqua to manipulate what you had left to heal you completely, you'll probably feel slightly weak for a day or two but it'll all come back very shortly, provided that you rest enough."

Zakuro nodded, almost uncaringly, but something caught her eye on the image. "What's that?" She pointed to the chest area of the image, where it showed a small black shape that emitted a near non-existent amount of energy.

Ryou looked closely at the cross like shape and then looked at Zakuro's body, to see if he could find the object that was emitting such minimal energy. He reached for Tohma's spirit crystal. "My guess would be this…it's probably overlapping you on the scan, that's why the image as a black spot on the chest area."

"But…it's not completely black…" Zakuro pointed out. "If it was devoid of energy wouldn't it be completely black? This has a little color in it…"

Ryou looked at the image closely. "Hm…you're right…" Ryou said with a nodded. "Then again it may be just your body's energy showing through the crystal."

"I guess…but maybe we can just…I dunno…check to make sure?" Zakuro asked hopefully.

"I don't see the harm in it, but you know Tohma's crystal was split in half. It's impossible to think that there's any residual energy in it at all." Ryou said, but Zakuro had already taken the necklace off and placed it in the scanner. Ryou sighed and started the scan again.

When it was done Zakuro picked up the necklace and placed it back around her neck before going back to Ryou to look at the results. They were both surprised to see that the crystal was indeed giving of a faint amount of energy.

"But that's not possible…how can a spirit crystal that was destroyed have any sort of energy at all?" Ryou wondered aloud, completely bewildered. He typed something into the computer and the computer brought up two pictures. One of them of Zakuro, the other Tohma. "This is ridiculous…it's saying that the energy signature coming from the crystal is both yours and Tohma's…"

"I don't understand, how is that possible? I mean I know this was Tohma's spirit crystal but to have my energy signature in it too?"

"Maybe…" Ryou's voice trailed off as he thought.

"Maybe what? Tell me, Shirogane."

"I don't know if it's possible or not…but you might say that you girls have extra spirit energy due to your being infused with a different D.N.A. animal. Maybe your excess spirit energy is being absorbed but Tohma's spirit crystal."

"Wait a minute…what's that mean?" Zakuro asked hesitantly, not wanting to be wrong.

"Your excess spirit energy might be reenergizing Tohma's spirit crystal. We might be able to bring him back."

* * *

Ok I know it took a long time to get this updated and it's rather short but I haven't been in a fanfiction mood lately and this chapter is nothing more than something to get new plot going, seeing as those who did happen to review wanted me to continue. I'm not saying I don't have ideas for future chapters it's just that if there's not too many readers and reviewers I don't have the will to continue writing. But for now I will so be excited for the next plot...just don't get too excited that if I don't post for a while you get depressed and what not. R&R please!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Zakuro please don't overexert yourself!"

Zakuro ignored Ryou's shouts and continued to force as much of her energy into the tiny crystal.

"Zakuro, with your powers already blocked you could kill yourself forcing so much out!" Ryou shouted, pulling Zakuro away from the crystal.

Zakuro struggled. "I have to bring him back! I have to!"

Ryou grew frustrated and spun Zakuro around, forcing her to look at him. "Look! Just give it time! Even if you force your energy out there's no guarantee that it'll work!"

Zakuro gave Ryou a hard look before all the fight left her and she sank to her knees. "I want him back…"

Ryou placed a hand on Zakuro's shoulder. "I know you do…we all do. But give it time…we'll see eventually how this all plays out…"

Zakuro stayed silent for a moment, not looking at Ryou, until, "Theoretically…how long?"

"Until we know for sure?" Zakuro nodded. "Well…see how much energy is in the crystal and the amount it would need to keep itself sustained it'll only take a few days…can you wait that long?"

Zakuro felt herself grow hopeful and she looked up and smiled. "Yeah, thanks Shirogane…" Zakuro stood herself up, grabbed the crystal, and slung it around her neck.

As Zakuro headed for the staircase, the sound of racing footsteps came down it and Mint came into view.

"Zakuro! You weren't in bed when I checked! Are you alright?! Shouldn't you be resting?!"

The memory of Mint forcing a kiss onto Tohma flashed through Zakuro's mind and it took all of Zakuro's will power not to lash out at her. Mint was her comrade and biggest fan after all… "I'm fine, Mint. I was just checking out what Shirogane was up to…"

Mint grabbed Zakuro's hand and started pulling her up the stairs. "Well come on! You have to get some rest or else you'll never recover!"

Zakuro turned and gave Ryou a pleading look, but Ryou just shrugged and gave Zakuro a look that clearly said 'she's your problem, not mine…'

Sunday rolled by with nothing too eventful happening. Zakuro had gone back to her duties around the café, though her ears and tail had to be covered up. She did, however, receive a pang of jealousy when Aoyama came to visit Ichigo. Watching Ichigo make a fool of herself as Aoyama was being his usual kind self to her was rather entertaining to watch but it made Zakuro feel envious. After every few hours, Zakuro would pull out the spirit crystal around her neck and check on it. Sure enough, bit by bit, its glow was coming back. That gave Zakuro a sense of hope and now she had no doubt in her mind that Tohma was coming back to her.

Keiichiro and Ryou had found Tohma's soulless body and brought it back to the café. There were no physical injuries to Tohma's body. Physically he was in perfect health. The only thing missing was his soul. Keiichiro was worried about what kind of side effects replenishing Tohma's spirit crystal with the spirit of Zakuro's D.N.A. animal might have but all Zakuro thought about was reviving him.

Monday the interference with Zakuro's powers disappeared, allowing her to transform back into her human form. School was completely uneventful. Apart from Zakuro slapping a guy for hitting on her just because Tohma wasn't around, not many people tried bothering Zakuro about Tohma's absence. Tuesday was the same, though minus anyone hitting on her. But when she got to the café she decided to check the crystal around her neck to find it shining brightly.

"SHIROGANE!! KEIICHIRO!!" Ryou and Keiichiro came running and Zakuro held out the crystal for them to see.

Keiichiro took one look at it and started up to towards the room where they kept Tohma's soulless body, Zakuro following close. As soon as they entered the room, Zakuro set the crystal on Tohma's chest, where it shined brightly. The binding keeping the chain to the crystal snapped and the crystal slowly sunk into Tohma's body.

Zakuro held her breath as she watched the color return to Tohma's body. Suddenly there seemed to be a great big flash of light and for an instant, Zakuro could've sworn she saw something strange. A pair of pointed, furry ears, not unlike her own when in her Mew form, on top of his head and a furry tail underneath him. But just as quickly as they appeared, they disappeared, as did the light. Zakuro continued to watch as Tohma's eye's fluttered and slowly, they opened slowly.

"Tohma!" Zakuro flung herself at him instantly.

"Z-Zakuro?! What-?!" Tohma caught Zakuro just in time as he sat up, holding her. "What's going on?!"

"I thought I lost you again…" Zakuro cried into his chest.

Tohma hesitantly wrapped his arms around Zakuro, embracing her and looking up at Keiichiro. "I thought I died…"

"You did die…" Keiichiro said. "But somehow, Zakuro's powers gave your spirit crystal enough energy to reenergize…"

"Is that even possible?"

Keiichiro shrugged. "Well…I'd say you're living proof that it is…"

Tohma was left speechless as he looked down at Zakuro, who was still crying into his chest. He brushed a lock of her hair out of her tear stained face. "Well…I guess all that matters is…I'm back."

* * *

I know this is a dinky little chapter but it seemed like a good place to stop. Read and review please!


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